I'm just conveying my emotions about robots to you. So guys, what is robotics?? You might be getting confused about the question itself. Funny. But in real robotics it is a broad field. Robotics is a term denoted in relation to robots. WHAT is a ROBOT??
Roughly speaking, we can say that ROBOT is a machine with a brain and memory. Some bookish language might elaborate it as “A reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to move specialized materials, parts, tools, or devices through various programmed motions to perform a variety of tasks.” This definition is quite expressive.
So what are the things needed to make a ROBOT..?? There are some qualities that must be followed by a fellow machine,
1 It should have a BRAIN. (Memory unit or controller)
2 Should have an ARM. (Obviously to hold things together)
3 It must have a DRIVE mechanism for movement. (Such as degree of freedom, movement and others)
4 Must have an End Effector. (Fingers as a structure for detecting, holding and dragging)
5 Must have sensors. Without Sensors, it is impossible for a ROBOT to understand the environments around it.
The list shows the basic needs for a machine to be called a ROBOT. What are the things actually mentioned? Let's understand them one by one.
Figure 1: Microcontroller Representation Image
BRAIN
As you can understand from the name, it will guide the machine for the task. For example, how to hold the thing, understand the sensors, react to some data and movements. These are basically microcontrollers or microprocessors depending on the application.
Figure 2: Representation image of the robotic arm
ARM
The robot arm comes in all shapes and sizes. The arm is the part of the robot that positions the End Effectors and Sensors to do their programming business. Many (but not all) resemble human arms and have shoulders, elbows, wrists and even fingers. This gives the robot many ways to position itself in its environment. Each joint is said to give the robot 1 degree of freedom.
Figure 3: Representational image of the battery as a robot driver
TO DRIVE
The drive is the “motor” that drives the links (the sections between the joints) into the desired position. Without a drive, a robot would simply sit still, which is not always desirable. Most units are powered by air, fuel, pressure or electricity.
Figure 4: Representational image of final effects
END effectors
The End Effector is the “hand” connected to the robot arm. It's often different from a human hand – it can be a tool like tweezers, a vacuum pump, tweezers, a scalpel or a blowtorch – pretty much anything that helps you do your job.
Figure 5: Representational Image of the Sensor
SENSOR
Most of today's robots are nearly deaf and blind. Sensors can provide some limited feedback to the robot so it can do its job. Compared to the senses and abilities of even the simplest living beings, robots have a long way to go. The sensor sends information in the form of electronic signals back to the controller. The sensors also provide information to the robot controller about this.
Robot Classification
Classification
As the word indicates “Classification”, which clarifies how many types of ROBOTS are present around us. There are some robots that depend completely on us, that is, we give them commands manually. Some are quite intelligent because they sense the environment and work without human intervention. Below you will get an idea of the types of robots: –
Autonomous Robots
These robots are pre-programmed. The actions performed by ROBOTS are predefined for each possible situation. As if we had sensors (eyes, nose and ears) and we made decisions based on the information we receive according to our learning. Likewise, these robots learn from our programming and make decisions according to the sensors mounted on them.
Controlled Robots
These robots require human intervention. Seriously?? Yes.. Without human control they cannot perform tasks. That's why these ROBOTS are more effective. Control can be done by “Wires” or “Wireless”. In the case of wireless control, we can send ROBOTS to remote locations where we cannot reach. Yes, your guess is as good as mine, these robots are mainly used for military purposes, space exploration and deep sea exploration. The data collected by the robots is sent back to the base station to study the subject.
Semi-Autonomous Robots
Robots work autonomously under normal conditions, but we can manually control them for specific tasks. These are semi-autonomous robots. These are the intelligent arts of ROBOTICS.
Other than this widely accepted classification, ROBOTS can be classified by their movement style and work environments; such as wheeled robots, legged robots, tracked robots, water robots and flying robots, etc.
Application
The areas of application depend on the needs of general people. For example, we made espresso machines because we needed espresso instantly. Likewise, there are specific areas where there is a need for Robot applications. The following are some of the many examples.
1. Domestic Purpose
· Cleaning robots
· Nursing robots
2. Industrial Purpose
· Welding
· Assembly
· Painting
· Inspection robot
· Packaging robots
· Freight elevators
3. Automatically guided vehicles
4. Defense purpose
· Pump Diffusion
· Surveillance
Figure 6: Image showing different types of robots
